SHENZHEN, CHINA — (CNN) Katy Perry just bailed on millions of Chinese fans.
The singer — beloved in China, where fans call her “Fruit Sister” because of her colorful outfits — canceled a headliner performance that would have kicked off Singles Day, a 24-hour shopping blitz made famous by tech giant Alibaba.
Perry pulled out early Thursday morning local time citing a family emergency, according to Alibaba.
“Regretfully, I must cancel my appearance … due to a family emergency. I am very sorry to disappoint my fans and look forward to seeing you in China soon,” Perry wrote on Chinese social media platform Weibo.
The American pop star is not having a great week: She is a fervent supporter of Hillary Clinton, having appeared at numerous rallies for the Democratic candidate during the presidential race.
Three days before voters went to the polls, Perry performed at a Clinton rally in the crucial swing state of Pennsylvania. She wore a blue cape emblazoned with the words “I’m with Madam President” during her set.
As Clinton’s chances of defeating Donald Trump dimmed, Perry tweeted “Gonna cry my false eye lashes off tonight.”
Singles Day is a huge online shopping event in China. Last year, gross merchandise volume settled through Alibaba’s payment service, Alipay, hit $14.3 billion — more than Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined. Billions more were spent with other retailers.
Alibaba named Perry a “global ambassador” in October, and she was set to appear alongside former NBA star Kobe Bryant and the band OneRepublic at the company’s gala.
While the “Fireworks” star will not be attending Alibaba’s event in Shenzhen, she has continued to speak out about the election results. She’s even changed her Twitter profile picture and header photo to simple black designs.
“WE WILL NEVER BE SILENCED”, she wrote on Twitter. And as anti-Trump protests spread across the U.S. on Wednesday night, she urged followers to protest peacefully.
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